The Latest from Iran (1 June): Through the Syrian Looking Glass

0520 GMT: We start on the Syrian front or, to be precise, the presentation of Syria by Iranian officials and media.

International outlets picked up on President Ahmadinejad's denunciation of last week's killing of at least 108 civilians in Houla, but it would have been profitable to consider who he was blaming for the episode. Press TV fills in the gap in its top story this morning:

A Syrian government investigation into the massacre that recently killed more than 100 people in the western Syria village of Houla has blamed anti-Damascus armed groups for the killings.

The head of the inquiry, Brigadier General Qassem Jamal Suleiman said during a news conference in the Syrian capital on Thursday that between 600 and 800 armed terrorists used heavy machinery to carry out the attacks on the village on May 25. 

The fatalities included dozens of women and children. 

"It appears that all the victims came from peaceful families who refused to rise up against the government or take up arms, but had rows with armed groups," the General stated, adding that facts and evidence showed the victims had been killed at close range. 

There were no traces of burns or other evidence that could indicate that artillery bombing by Syrian forces had led to the massive loss of life, he further noted. 

The general went on to say that the grizzly massacre had been carried out in an attempt to “eliminate the presence of the government [in the are a] totally and turn it into a region out of government control." 

"Killing children does not meet any goal of the government but those of the armed groups," he pointed out, insisting that Syrian troops did not enter the area before or after the incident. 

Press TV makes no reference to the mass of evidence, such as eyewitness accounts from residents of Houla, that points to shelling and attacks by pro-regime men as the cause of the deaths.

It does, however, have a "good news" story about politics:

 

In Syria, several newly established political parties and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have joined to form a coalition....

“I announce the formation of the coalition of the national and democratic parties. The aim of our national coalition is to start serious work with all Syrian parties to overcome the unrest through dialogue,” the Syrian Solidarity Party’s Imad al-Katib said. 

While underlining the importance of Syria’s unity, independence, and national sovereignty, the coalition says it aims at helping build a nationally democratic nation. 

The coalition said that it would work with all parties in order to solve the crisis in Syria. They also rejected violence and all foreign intervention in the country. 

from EA WorldView: EA Iran

Posted via email from lissping